"German high command did not come to expect a major invasion in the Balkans. In preparation for the 1944 invasion of Normandy, the Allied nations conducted a complex series of deceptions under the codename Bodyguard. This was a large strategic plan with the aim of misleading the German high command as to Allied intentions in 1944. Whilst the main focus of Bodyguard was on the invasion of Western France, additional plans supported operations in the Mediterranean and Scandinavia. In 1941, 'A' Force (the Cairo-based department responsible for deception operations in the North Africa) had begun an operation, codenamed Cascade, to"
"the Polish surrender on 6 October 1939. The invasion of Poland prompted both the United Kingdom and France to declare war on Germany. Through the winter of 1939–40, the ""Wehrmacht"" began preparations to invade the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, and France. The basic plan called for an invasion of the Netherlands by Army Group B, and of Belgium by Army Group B and Army Group A. The operation, Case Yellow, was designed to draw the Allied armies into the Low Countries, and then to break out through the Ardennes in southern Belgium and Luxembourg, and advance to the English Channel to"
"the shock value of the panzer and Stuka attacks, they have tended to underestimate the punishing effect of German artillery on Polish units. Mobile and available in significant quantity, artillery shattered as many units as any other branch of the Wehrmacht."" The German invasion of France, with subsidiary attacks on Belgium and the Netherlands, consisted of two phases, Operation Yellow (""Fall Gelb"") and Operation Red (""Fall Rot""). Yellow opened with a feint conducted against the Netherlands and Belgium by two armoured corps and paratroopers. Most of the German armoured forces were placed in Panzer Group von Kleist, which attacked through"
"Otto and Ernst Schiff, who had been instrumental in accommodating the Belgian refugees of Jewish origin, became crucial in the reception and accommodation of German exiles in Britain during the latter half of the 1930s. The invasion of Belgium by Nazi Germany started on 10 May 1940 under the codename ""Fall Gelb"" (""Case Yellow"") as part of the wider invasion of France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The German invasion triggered a panic amongst Belgian civilians in the path of the advancing German army. By 11 May, the roads leading westwards, away from the fighting, were blocked by refugees, hampering the"
"Battle of France The Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries during the Second World War. In the six weeks from 10 May 1940, German forces defeated Allied forces by mobile operations and conquered France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, bringing land operations on the Western Front to an end until 6 June 1944. Italy entered the war on 10 June 1940 and invaded France over the Alps. The German plan for the invasion consisted of two main operations. In ""Fall Gelb"" (Case Yellow), German armoured units"
"Operation Weserübung Operation Weserübung ( ) was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. The name comes from the German for ""Operation Weser-Exercise"", the Weser being a German river. In the early morning of 9 April 1940 (""Wesertag"", ""Weser Day""), Germany invaded Denmark and Norway, ostensibly as a preventive manoeuvre against a planned, and openly discussed, Franco-British occupation of Norway known as Plan R 4. After the invasions, envoys of the Germans informed the governments of Denmark and Norway that the ""Wehrmacht"" had come"
"Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (German: ""Unternehmen Barbarossa"") was the code name for the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, which started on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. The operation stemmed from Nazi Germany's ideological aims to conquer the western Soviet Union so that it could be repopulated by Germans, to use Slavs, especially Poles, as a slave-labour force for the Axis war effort, and to seize the oil reserves of the Caucasus and the agricultural resources of Soviet territories. In the two years leading up to the invasion, Germany and the Soviet Union signed political and economic"
"the Armed Forces) turned their attentions to Western Europe. The Western Allies had surrendered the initiative and the Germans would take the offensive in 1940. Several plans were toyed with by the German General Staff. General Franz Halder, the chief of staff of the Army, presented the first plan for ""Fall Gelb"" (""Case Yellow"") on 19 October 1939. The plan's German code was ""Aufmarschanweisung N°1, Fall Gelb"", or ""Deployment Instruction No. 1, Case Yellow"". The operation was a limited operation in which Luxembourg and the Low Countries were to be conquered in order to provide a base for further operations"
"Operation Herkules Operation Herkules (; ) was the German code-name given to an abortive plan for the invasion of Malta during World War II. Through air and sea landings, the Italians and Germans hoped to eliminate Malta as a British air and naval base and secure an uninterrupted flow of supplies across the Mediterranean Sea to Axis forces in Libya and Egypt. Extensive preparations were made for the invasion but the Axis victory at the Battle of Gazala (26 May to 21 June 1942), the capture of Tobruk on 21 June and Operation Aïda, the pursuit of the British as"
"Fall Rot During World War II, Fall Rot (Case Red) was the plan for the second phase of the conquest of France by the German Army and began on 5 June 1940. It had been made possible by the success of ""Fall Gelb"" (Case Yellow), the invasion of the Benelux countries and northern France in the Battle of France and the encirclement of the Allied armies in the north on the Channel coast. Powerful forces were also to advance into France. ""Fall Rot"" consisted of two sub-operations, a preliminary attack in the west began on 5 June, over the river"
"Fall Rot During World War II, Fall Rot (Case Red) was the plan for the second phase of the conquest of France by the German Army and began on 5 June 1940. It had been made possible by the success of ""Fall Gelb"" (Case Yellow), the invasion of the Benelux countries and northern France in the Battle of France and the encirclement of the Allied armies in the north on the Channel coast. Powerful forces were also to advance into France. ""Fall Rot"" consisted of two sub-operations, a preliminary attack in the west began on 5 June, over the river"
"part of the second zone, while the Flensborg area was to remain on German hands. On June 15 the Southern Jutland area was formally returned to Danish control. Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. The name comes from the German for Operation Weser-Exercise, the Weser being a German river. In the early morning of 9 April 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway, ostensibly as a preventive maneuver against a planned, and openly discussed, Franco-British occupation of both these countries. After"
"Operation Green (Ireland) Operation Green () often also referred to as Case Green () or Plan Green (), was a full-scale operations plan for a Nazi German invasion of Ireland in support of Operation Sea Lion (), the invasion of the United Kingdom, during World War II. Despite its detailed nature, Operation Green is thought to have been designed only as a credible threat, a feint, not an actual operation. Plan W, a planned occupation of all of the Free State by the British Armed Forces, was drafted by the British military in secret liaison with the Irish government to"
"a forced landing in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-4 (""Werknummer"" 3766—factory number) and sustained minor injuries. On 1 June, II. ""Gruppe"" was withdrawn from the Channel Front and moved to Dortmund for conversion to the Bf 109 F-2 and preparation for Operation ""Barbarossa"", the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Deployment east began on 10 June where II. ""Gruppe"" was initially based at Siedlce, familiarizing themselves with the Bf 109 F-2, and patrolling the border along the Bug River. The German attack began on the early morning on 22 June with II. ""Gruppe"" flying fighter escort missions in support of"
"Operation Sea Lion Operation Sea Lion, also written as Operation Sealion (), was Nazi Germany's code name for the plan for an invasion of the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. Following the Fall of France, Adolf Hitler, the German Führer and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, hoped the British government would seek a peace agreement and he reluctantly considered invasion only as a last resort if all other options failed. As a precondition, he specified the achievement of both air and naval superiority over the English Channel and the proposed landing sites,"
"have died from indirect consequences, such as poor nutrition or limited medical services. Battle of the Netherlands The Battle of the Netherlands () was a military campaign part of Case Yellow (), the German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until the surrender of the main Dutch forces on 14 May. Dutch troops in the province of Zeeland continued to resist the ""Wehrmacht"" until 17 May when Germany completed its occupation of the whole country. The Battle of the Netherlands saw some of"
"southern Germany. The relocation of troops was estimated to take between 20 and 25 days. Fall Braun was not carried out, due to the start of ""Fall Gelb"" (English: Case Yellow) on 10 May 1940, which resulted in the occupation of Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium by the Germany Armed Forces. By the beginning of July 1940, ""Fall Gelb"" had run its course and the north of France had also fallen into German hands. From this point, the newly planned ""Fall Rot"" (Case Red) was to take place, involving the occupation of central France from the north. From 5 June"
"four times larger than the British Expeditionary Force and twice as large as the Dutch army at the time. The invasion of Belgium by Nazi Germany started on May 10th, 1940 under the codename ""Fall Gelb"" (""Case Yellow"") as part of the wider invasion of France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The Belgian Albert Canal fortifications, some of the most modern defensive networks in Europe, proved almost useless. At Eben-Emael, the fort held by 1,200 Belgians was taken when the Germans deployed 500 glider-borne ""Fallschirmjäger"" against them, opening the border for Blitzkrieg-style warfare. Almost all of the air force's modern Hurricane"
"Operation Bagration Operation Bagration (; , Operatsiya Bagration) was the codename for the Soviet 1944 Belorussian Strategic Offensive Operation, (, Belorusskaya nastupatelnaya Operatsiya ""Bagration"") a military campaign fought between 22 June and 19 August 1944 in Soviet Byelorussia in the Eastern Front of World War II. The Soviet Union achieved a major victory by destroying the German Army Group Centre and completely rupturing the German front line. On 23 June 1944, the Red Army attacked Army Group Centre in Byelorussia, with the objective of encircling and destroying its main component armies. By 28 June, the German Fourth Army had been"
"Western Allied invasion of Germany The Western Allied invasion of Germany was coordinated by the Western Allies during the final months of hostilities in the European theatre of World War II. In preparation for the Allied invasion of Germany, a series of Offensive Operations were designed to seize and capture the east and west bank of the Rhine River. Operation Veritable and Operation Grenade in February 1945, and Operation Lumberjack and Operation Undertone in March 1945. Allied invasion of Germany started with the Western Allies crossing the Rhine River on 22 March 1945 before fanning out and overrunning all of"
"28 June 1942, the ""Wehrmacht"" had initiated ""Fall Blau"" (Case Blue), the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia. The objective was to secure the oil fields of Baku as well as an advance in the direction of Stalingrad along the Volga River, to cover the flanks of the advance towards Baku. Tasked with aerial support of this offensive was ""Luftflotte"" 4 to which JG 52 was subordinated. By the time Gollob joined the ""Geschwader"" in late July 1942, the offensive had been renamed Operation ""Braunschweig"" and JG 52 was located at Rostov-on-Don. Gollob claimed his first victory with the"
"Operation Fischreiher Operation Fischreiher (German for heron) was an extension to Operation Blue II during the German invasion of the Soviet Union in World War II. General Friedrich Paulus' 6th Army, and part of the 4th Panzer Army under General Hermann Hoth, was to advance across the Don river towards the city of Stalingrad on the Western bend of the Volga river. The original operational plans had called for a defensive line on the Don river by Army Group B, while Army Group A under General List was to advance south towards the oil fields in the Caucasus. The diversion"
"Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium under the operational plan Fall Gelb (Case Yellow). Once the Wehrmacht had fully occupied Belgium, Adolf Hitler chose not to install a civilian government (such as he had done in the Netherlands), but instead installed a military government headed by Alexander von Falkenhausen of the Wehrmacht. This intensified friction and disagreement between native-Belgian right-wing factions, including Verdinaso and Rexism, forcing them to fully collaborate with the occupying forces in order to gain influence. Hitler and SS-leader Heinrich Himmler profited from the situation by increasing competition between various native-Belgian groups by founding some more extreme collaborationist"
"Operation Braunschweig Operation Braunschweig (""Brunswick""), named after Braunschweig, was the German summer offensive that began on 28 June 1942. The operation was initially named ""Fall Blau"" (Case Blue), which is the common name used for the whole offensive. The name was changed from ""Blau"" to ""Braunschweig"" on 30 June. The plans following the original Case Blue (originally named ""Blue I"" and ""Blue II"") were renamed to Operation Clausewitz and Operation Dampfhammer. ""Clausewitz"" detailed the beginning of the operations of Army Group A in July 1942, ""Dampfhammer"" the follow-up operations in July 1942. In Führer Directive No. 45, dated 23 July"
"Operation Doppelkopf Operation Doppelkopf () and the following Operation Cäsar were German counter-offensives on the Eastern Front in the late summer of 1944 in the aftermath of the major Soviet advance in Operation Bagration with the aim of restoring a coherent front between Army Group North and Army Group Centre. The operation's codename was a reference to the German card game ""Doppelkopf"". By the end of July 1944, Soviet mechanised forces had reached the Gulf of Riga following their headlong advance in the Kaunas and Šiauliai Offensives, part of the third and final 'pursuit' phase of the strategic offensive Operation"
"Operation Otto Operation Otto (also known as Plan Otto) was the code name for two independent plans by Nazi Germany. The 1938 plan was to occupy Austria; the second envisaged an attack on the Soviet Union and was developed from late July 1940. The original Operation Otto was the plan to occupy Austria during the Anschluss in 1938. It was named after the crown prince of Austria-Hungary at the time, Otto von Habsburg. The High Command of the German Army (OKH) also used Operation Otto as the code name in July 1940 for their original plan for the invasion of"
"the first plan for ""Fall Gelb"" (Case Yellow) on 19 October. This was the pre-war codename of plans for a campaign in the Low Countries: the ""Aufmarschanweisung N°1, Fall Gelb"" (Deployment Instruction No. 1, Case Yellow). Halder's plan has been compared to the Schlieffen Plan, the name given to the German strategy of 1914 in the First World War. It was similar in that both plans entailed an advance through the middle of Belgium. ""Aufmarschanweisung N°1"" envisioned a frontal attack, sacrificing a projected half million German soldiers to attain the limited goal of throwing the Allies back to the River"
"German order of battle for the invasion of Poland This article details the order of battle of German army units invading Poland in 1939. The German forces for the invasion of Poland with the codename Fall Weiss (English - Case White) were divided into Army Group North (consisting of the German 3rd and 4th armies) and Army Group South (consisting of the German 8th, 10th, and 14th armies, and the Slovak Army Group Bernolak). Army Group North was commanded by Colonel General Fedor von Bock. Its initial objectives were to capture the ""Polish corridor"" (4th Army) and drive southwards towards"
"Group B was supposed to conquer Stalingrad and, if possible, Astrakhan (Operation Heron – Fischreiher because of the fish in the Volga River). Army Group North was instructed to conquer Leningrad (Operation Fireworks because of artillery fire).”).” The directive said: The directives went on to explain just what each individual army should do in the upcoming assault. Operation Braunschweig Operation Braunschweig (""Brunswick""), named after Braunschweig, was the German summer offensive that began on 28 June 1942. The operation was initially named ""Fall Blau"" (Case Blue), which is the common name used for the whole offensive. The name was changed from"
"the German invasion, British forces had considered Narvik as a possible landing point for an expedition to help Finland in the Winter War. Such an expedition also had the potential of taking control of the Swedish mines and opening up the Baltic for the Allies. French politicians were also eager to start a second front as far away from France as possible. On 1 March 1940, Adolf Hitler ordered the invasion of Norway, codenamed ""Operation Weserübung"" as a preventive manoeuvre against a planned, and openly discussed, Franco-British occupation of Norway. This operation would involve most of the ""Kriegsmarine"". Participating units"
"Operation Arctic Fox Operation Arctic Fox (German: ""Unternehmen Polarfuchs""; ; Russian: ""Кандалакшская операция"") was the codename given to a World War II campaign by German and Finnish forces against Soviet Northern Front defenses at Salla, Finland in July 1941. The operation was part of the larger Operation Silver Fox (""Silberfuchs""; ) which aimed to capture the vital port of Murmansk. Arctic Fox was conducted in parallel to Operation Platinum Fox (""Platinfuchs""; ) in the far north of Lappland. The principal goal of Operation Arctic Fox was to capture the town of Salla and then to advance in the direction of"
"Fall Weiss (1939) Fall Weiss (""Case White"", ""Plan White""; German spelling ""Fall Weiß"") was the Nazi strategic plan for the invasion of Poland. The German military High Command finalized its operational orders on 15 June 1939 and the invasion commenced on 1 September, precipitating World War II. The origins of the plan went back to 1928, when Werner von Fritsch started working on it. ""Fall Weiss"" was developed primarily by Günther Blumentritt and Erich von Manstein while the two were serving as staff officers under General Gerd von Rundstedt with Army Group South in Silesia. The plan called for a"
"Gold Beach Gold, commonly known as Gold Beach, was the code name for one of the five areas of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during the Second World War. Gold, the central of the five areas, was located between Port-en-Bessin on the west and La Rivière on the east. High cliffs at the western end of the zone meant that the landings took place on the flat section between Le Hamel and La Rivière, in the sectors code-named Jig and King. Taking Gold was to be the responsibility of the British"